Because of What!
by Britt30
Summary: One cold night, Jack meets the Doctor, who gives him some great advice and helps him figure out why he's the way he is. They both start to wonder, is the Man in the Moon really who he says he is? Now a RotBTD story as well. Cover art by TwilightSaphir
1. Explanation

**Hello everybody. :) Quick one shot for you all that I thought would be interesting. Enjoy and review!**

Jack stepped onto a thin pine branch and sent it dipping under his weight. His hood was up and his staff laid carelessly across his shoulders. The moon was full and it's light set the frosted forest on fire.

"You know," Jack said to the moon, "this would be so much easier if you told me what I was doing wrong." Jack paced along the branch and looked up at the sky. "Why won't you answer?" he asked angrily. "You chose me! It's the least you could do to give me some help!" Of course, the moon didn't answer, but a voice below him did.

"You alright up there?" Jack looked down and saw a tall matchstick thin man looking up at him. He was wearing a pinstripe brown suit and trench coat.

"How'd you get up there anyway?" the man wondered out loud. He put on a pair of block glasses and squinted up at Jack.

"You can see me?" Jack called down, his eyes widening in surprise. He jumped off the branch, floated to the ground, and landed softly on the carpet of pine needles. The other man was speechless.

"That's impossible! No, that's brilliant!" He whipped off his glasses and stuck out his hand, a huge smile on his face. "I'm the Doctor!" Jack shook his hand

"Jack Frost."

"No!" the Doctor cried incredulously. Jack took off his hood off. His blazing white hair shone in the moonlight.

"Yes, the real deal!"

"Oh, this is brilliant! But, what did you mean by I could see you?" Jack chuckled softly.

"That's a long story."

"Well, I've got time. And a place we can talk. Allons-y!" The Doctor stuck his hands in his trench coat pockets and marched back through the trees. Jack followed, curiosity leading him on. They didn't go very far before they came upon an old, blue police box.

"Here we are!" the Doctor said, patting the box.

"Uh, are you sure we'll fit?" Jack asked.

"Oh yeah. In fact you might say..." He opened the doors with a flourish and stepped into the box. "It's bigger on the inside."

Jack's jaw dropped open. 287 years and he'd never seen anything like this before. The Doctor waited politely for him to stop gawking before getting back on topic.

"So, you were going to tell me something?" Jack stopped walking around, frost covering the floor wherever he stepped, and turned back towards the Doctor.

"This is amazing!" The winter spirit hopped onto one of the pillars and settled himself in it's crook. "The first thing I remember was darkness..."

Jack continued with his story. He got to the part where someone had first seen him. He had made friends, real friends, with kids his age. There was the lost princess, the first who noticed him. Then the dragon trainer and his bold red head cousin. He had even had a crush on one of the princesses (though he didn't say which).

"But now they're gone. They aged and died and I'm still here, I'm still alive. How? Why?!" Jack's voice was filled with desperation. He just didn't know what to do. The Doctor listened and then spoke quietly.

"I understand." Jack looked up and almost laughed.

"How, there's no way you can be older than me."

"I'm 900 years old. I'm a time traveler. I've made friends and enemies and found love all throughout the universe." He sighed. "They leave. Because they should or because they find someone else. And some of them, some of them... forget me. I suppose in the end they break my heart. I'm left alone, just like you

"But I'll tell you what I've learned. Enjoy the good things and don't let the bad things get you down. Remember the friends you've made, don't let them die in vain, and look forward to the ones to come. Be grateful for the time you have because it will never seem like enough." The Doctor sighed, his breath filled with longing. But there was also a small smile playing on his lips as if he had just gotten rid of a heavy burden. He jumped up suddenly, startling Jack.

"Now as for your staff, may I?" He asked, gesturing to his staff. Jack handed it to him. The Doctor examined it carefully and then took out his sonic screwdriver to scan it.

"What're you doing?" Jack asked, leaning over to see what he was doing.

"Trying to figure out how this works." He handed the staff back and then scanned both at the same time. The Doctor studied the results intently.

"That's fascinating."

"What?"

"Your staff is a sonic instrument. It's attuned specifically to produce frost, ice, wind, or snow. It's also attuned to your molecular structure and emotions, making your powers weaker or stronger.

Now the rest of your story is also really interesting. Who did you say did this to you again?"

With complete honesty Jack said, "The Man in the Moon." The Doctor nodded.

"Right. Well when you fell unconscious in the water it seems he changed your molecular structure, just slightly, to change your hair and eye color. He also slowed down your aging process, about one year for every hundred." The Doctor barely paused for breath, much less to give Jack time to take this all in, before he continued.

"Now as for why people can't see you." He looked at the base of Jack's neck. "You have a small perception filter planted under your skin. It's programmed so only young or creative minds can see you." Now he stepped back and let the boy absorb all this information. Finally, Jack spoke.

"You're saying... the reason I'm like this, is because of _science? _Because some guy wanted to, mess with me for some reason?" He was pacing around angrily now, snowflakes sporadically shooting out of his staff.

"Now there's the thing," the Doctor said, striding over to the console. "I think we should go pay this 'Man in the Moon' a visit." He pulled a handle that sent the TARDIS rocking. Jack laughed from surprise and grabbed onto the railing.

"Let's go get your memories, Jack."  
**Tada! Thoughts? Comments? Reviews? All are appreciated! Hope you guys enjoyed it!**


	2. The Moon

**A/N: Hello lovely readers! Just FYI, I've been editing this story and fixing some continuity errors. Anyway, enjoy!**

The TARDIS wheezed and rocked as it landed. The Doctor pulled a final lever and helped Jack to his feet.

"Are we really on the moon?" the boy asked staring at the door.

"Oh yes!" The Doctor replied and opened the doors with a flourish. "Welcome to the moon!" It was a surprisingly impressive sight to the both of them. The Doctor had been to the moon once before with Martha, but that must have been a different part. This place was… spectacular.

Spiraling peaks of moonstone rose high into the sky. Well worn paths wove up and down them, sometimes making roads, sometimes making slides. Large golden fish with bright antennas on their heads swam through the peaks in schools. Beyond the silver peaks was a large, sparkling plateau.

"You've got to be kidding me," Jack whispered. The Doctor shook his head in amazement.

"All this time, right above the Earth… I need to get out more. Well, come on Jack. I've put us down fairly close to where MiM should be. Allons-y!" He took off strutting down the slopes, but quickly realized that the TARDIS could not change gravity. Instead, he bounded down the slope in one large jump.

"Yeah!" Jack cried and launched himself at a spiral. He followed the Doctor by leaping from peak to peak. Some of the Starfish swam by to check him out and soon he was swept up in the school. Jack laughed joyfully. Now this was fun.

"Jack?" the Doctor yelled.

"Up here!" the boy replied.

"I think I've found someth-AH!" The Doctor's voice faded as if he had fallen down something.

"Doctor?" Jack shouted worriedly. "Doctor!" He disentangled himself from the school of fish and floated down to the ground. There was a small cloud of dust by where the Doctor had been. The frost spirit ran over to investigate and stumbled into the trap himself.

There was a hole in the ground that gave way to a chute where gravity was a lot stronger. Jack hurdled down the slide, shouting from surprise and exhilaration. What a ride! He could hear the Doctor somewhere below him.

"Watch out!" Jack yelled a moment before he came rocketing out the end and crashing right into the Doctor. The two men groaned on the floor and carefully sat up. Jack coughed.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"I'd assume in MiM's home," the Doctor replied while brushing himself off. The two of them stood up and looked around. They were in what could be considered a living room. Two couches sat on either side of a coffee table. At the far end of the room was a set of huge bay windows that looked out at the surrounding solar system. The Doctor seemed perplexed. He took in the room around him and eventually made his way over to the back wall. It was gilded with golden galaxial spirals and gears. He peered at them closely.

"Now, hang on…" He pulled out his glasses and put them on. "I haven't seen this style of decoration since the Golden Age..." The Doctor licked it. Jack made a face, but the Doctor took no notice.

"Imperial gold… but that's impossible." He seemed deep in thought.

"What's impossible?" Jack asked. "And why did you lick the wall?"

"This entire place is impossible!" the Doctor cried gesturing at the room. "According to my taste buds this place is at least-"

"2000 years old," another voice replied. The Doctor and Jack turned back to the chute. A short, rotund man with only a twirl of hair on his head was brushing himself off. He wore a pale yellow suit and looked rather dapper.

"I don't believe I've ever been properly introduced to you, Doctor. I remember passing your ship a time or two as a baby. However, I believe you knew my father, Tsar Lunar." The Doctor's expression was one of pure shock.

"Tsar... But, no offense your Lunarness, you should be dead." MiM nodded his head and smiled sadly. He strolled over to the windows.

"You and I have a lot in common Doctor. We are both the last of our kind and hold the last of our species' technology. There have always been space pirates roaming the stars, but about ten years before your war with the Daleks, a new pirate came to power; Pitch Black. He commanded the most terrible horde of nightmares the universe had ever seen. Our wars coincided; as the Daleks laid waste to Gallifrey, so did Pitch to our kingdom. There was nothing we could do." He turned back to the two of them. His eyes were filled with pain.

"Pitch killed my parents. The only reason I survived was because of my Guardian, Nightlight." He smiled at the Doctor. "A Glimmerian."

The conversation quickly spiraled off topic as the two aliens discussed the going-ons of the last few thousand years, certain aliens, the differences in their species' technology, and MiM's ingenious use of moon beams to gather information from Earth.

In short, Jack was growing bored.

He floated over to the couches where the two men were deep in debate. Jack settled himself on the arm of the couch next to the Doctor.

"Doctor?" he asked, poking his companion in the arm.

"Not now Jack," he replied distractedly.

"But Doctor-"

"Just a minute," and then he went on talking. Jack growled in frustration and stalked around the room. With nothing better to do, he pulled a book off a book shelf and sat down huffily to read.

As interesting as the quantum mechanics of a moonbot were, within ten minutes Jack's brain was fried. He placed the book back on the shelf and returned to his position by the Doctor, determined to get some answers this time.

"Doctor," he said, poking him again.

"One minute Jack," he dismissed with a wave of his hand.

Ok. Enough was enough. Jack huffily launched off the couch and landed hard on the marble floor. He struck his staff against the stone, coating the floor with ice, and getting both men's attention.

"Thank you. Now, would someone please explain where I fit into all of this?" MiM and the Doctor were surprised by Jack's display of power. MiM cleared his throat and began to talk.

"You're powers have gotten stronger. And I know they're still not fully developed." He stood and began to pace the room.

"Another thing that the Doctor and I have in common is our technology; we are both capable of time travel. I've been to the future Jack. I saw Pitch Black execute his revenge. He created- or will create, I should say- a vast army of nightmares and will attempt to destroy your planet and everything you hold dear."

"Ok, but where do _I _come in?" MiM ignored him and continued.

"I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let Pitch do to this world what he did to mine. So I recruited Guardians; certain people, made immortal through belief… and a little adjustment of their aging clock.

"In the future, I saw who would be important, who would change the tide of history itself. Let's just say Jack, that you are more important than you believe. That's my defense for what I did to you." MiM sat back down and peered at Jack intently as the boy began to pace. He was quiet for a while, but eventually began to talk in a low, pained voice.

"But why _me? _Why nearly 300 years in advance? Why did you take my memories? Why can't- why won't people see me? Why won't you answer me when I try to talk to you? What am I doing wrong?!" he finally yelled and struck a window with a blast of ice. The two men turned to look at the cold spikes protruding at them and MiM was silent for a few moments as he composed his thoughts. When he looked at Jack, the boy flinched at the ferocity in his eyes.

"I understand where you're coming from Jack. I've spent millennia in this ship- alone- trying to prevent the demise of your planet. You aren't doing anything wrong Jack. In fact, you're doing better than I thought you would. It's just not the right time. I've seen the future and I promise, it gets better." He saw the look on Jack's face and repeated, "And when I promise something I never break that promise. Ever." Jack looked at the floor and laughed quietly.

"That's what she used to say," Jack said. MiM continued after a moment of silence.

"As for your memories, I didn't take them. None of the others I've chosen have had this problem. I believe it's a side effect of dying and being rescued. You'll recover them in time.

"Think on this as you leave though Jack. I'm sorry your normal life was cut short. Truly, I am. But difficult times lie ahead and we will need you. Not just for your powers or personality. You will need to overcome your loneliness, bitterness, and selfishness if you wish to succeed." He walked up to Jack then and placed a finger on his heart. "Most importantly though, find your center because that's what we will need above all." He then moved his hand to Jack's shoulder. The two proud men stared at each other and then slowly, Jack nodded, as if accepting his challenge.

The Doctor had watched in silence as this conversation took place. Once Jack nodded though, he stood up and clapped his hands together.

"Well Your Lunarness, we should be going. There's… something I need to show Jack." MiM nodded and walked over to the Doctor. They shook hands.

"It's been a pleasure. Please, stop by again," MiM said. "Let me show you the way back up." He led the two of them out the far door and down a short hallway that led to a wall. In the ceiling was a shaft with a ladder on the side. The Doctor climbed up first, yelling his thanks again. As Jack was about to fly up, MiM placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Good luck Jack. Remember what I told you."

"I will," Jack replied.

"Oh, and one more thing Jack. I may not answer you, or even be able to, but I always listen." Jack thought on this for a second and then nodded again. With a quick farewell and slight smile, Jack flew up the shaft and back onto the moon.


	3. A Trip to the Past

The Doctor opened the TARDIS Door for Jack.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow. There are, uh, some things I need to check."

"Ok, but what-" Jack was cut off as he was shoved out and the TARDIS evaporated. He was standing next to a gigantic waterfall with stone monoliths next to it.

"Jack?" a voice called. He looked up quickly. He'd know that voice anywhere!

"Merida!" he yelled and tackled her in a bear hug causing her to drop her bow.

"Oof. It's good ta see ya too Frost. Now get off me, would ya?" He pulled away and resisted to do a back flip.

"Yeah, sorry. It's just I haven't seen you in ages." Merida gave him an odd look.

"Ya were here last week." Before Jack could reply there was a rush of air and a large black dragon landed on him.

"Toothless!" he yelled as the gentle beast licked his face. Normally he'd be disgusted, but he'd make an exception after 200 years.

"Hey Mer. Toothless, get off of Jack." The dragon complied, but continued to stare at him curiously.

"Hiccup!" Jack cried and hugged the one legged viking. Hiccup wasn't expecting this and nearly fell over from the force of it.

"Good to see you too Jack," he said hesitantly. He looked to Merida for help, but the redhead just shrugged.

Jack finally released his best friend and looked around for the fourth member of their party. Rapunzel was just hopping off of Toothless holding a picnic basket. She was quickly enveloped in an equally large, but much gentler hug.

"Oh hi Jack! Where'd you get that jacket?" He looked down at his blue hoodie and then up at his friends and realized he had a lot to explain.

"You guys will never believe me," he said as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. Hiccup stepped up.

"Uh Jack, you're an immortal winter spirit, I ride a dragon, and have you seen the girls' hair? I think we can handle whatever has happened."

::::

The other three sat in flabbergasted silence after Jack had finished his story.

"Well," admitted Hiccup. "I was not expecting that."

"It is a bit much to take in," Merida agreed. Rapunzel sat in pensive silence before leaning over to give Jack a hug.

"I'm sorry you were alone for so long," she whispered. He chuckled.

"You don't know how much it means to see you guys again," he told them.

"We're glad you came," Hiccup said. "Now come on. This picnic isn't going to eat itself." Once they had spread out the food and began eating, Merida piped up.

"Now, hang on a minute. If you're from the future, doesn't that mean ya know what happens ta us?" They all turned to look at Jack expectantly.

"Um, yeah. I suppose I do." Rapunzel squealed in excitement.

"Oh Jack, do I ever leave my tower? Permanently?"

"What about Berk? And the Outcasts?" Hiccup asked.

"I'd like ta know what happens in ma future too."

"Woah! Slow down! How old are all of you?"

"17 last month," said Punzie.

"17 next month for us," said Hiccup gesturing to his cousin. Jack's feelings were very muddled. There had to be a rule about this kind of stuff! If only the Doctor had told him that. What would he tell his friends anyhow?

How could he tell Punzie that in less than a year she would meet the man of her dreams and see the world? How could he tell her that she'd been kidnapped and raised by a woman who only loved her for her power?

How could he tell Hiccup that in three years his dad would be… gone. And that it was Toothless's fault? Not to mention finding out his mother was still alive.

And then there was Merida. Suitors would come from all over the world and in two years she would finally say yes to one of them. How could he tell her that a year after that, her kingdom would go to war and she would disguise herself to join the army after her husband refused to let her go?

Eventually, all three of his friends became the rulers of their countries; the best queens and king their kingdoms ever saw. Their stories became legend.

No, he couldn't tell them this. He didn't want to spoil the surprises- good or bad.

So instead he simply smiled his I-know-something-you-don't smirk and said, "Spoilers."

As he said this, Merida groaned and lobbed a roll at his face. He retaliated with a snowball. Hiccup tried to intervene, but was shot down with a spoonful of pudding. Soon an entire battle was raging.

"Fine! Keep your secrets Frost boy, but you'll pay!" yelled the redhead as she picked up some mud from the nearby waterfall.

"Uh oh." He took off to the top of the cliff and looked down at them. Rapunzel couldn't stop laughing and Hiccup was attempting to stop Merida from mounting Toothless. He failed miserably as she shoved him into the lake at the base of the cliff, mounted the dragon, and took off, intent of splattering Jack with mud.

They ran (and flew) around for hours. Toothless was just as intent on getting Jack as Merida, especially if it meant making him a bit crispy. Once Merida accomplished her goal, the two troublemakers made an alliance and proceeded to dive bomb the others. Before long they were all soaked, muddy, and having a great time. The sun had just started to set and the falls were on fire when Rapunzel suddenly yelped.

"Oh no! Mother is going to be back soon! There's no way I can get home before she does," she cried worriedly and began to twist her hair. Merida went over to her and started braiding it to calm her down.

"I'm sorry Punz," Hiccup said as he began to saddle Toothless. "I'll fly you home as fast as I can." Suddenly, Jack had an idea.

"Wait! My friend, the Doctor, he said he'd be back to pick me up tomorrow. He can just take you home then. I mean, it is a time machine after all." Hiccup stopped saddling Toothless and looked to Rapunzel. After a moment she nodded hesitantly.

"I guess that would work. I've never slept anywhere except in my tower though."

"Ah, don't ya worry Punz. We can have a campout! It'll be fun." Hiccup shrugged.

"I'm game. Jack?" The frost spirit smiled.

"There's no where else I'd rather be."

_Up on the Moon_

MiM approached the bay windows, looked out, and sighed. He was proud of Jack for making it this far, understood his frustration, and knew he deserved an answer, but the Doctor really shouldn't have interfered. Who know what that could change?

He was suddenly aware of someone else's presence in the room. He spun around, looking around frantically.

"Hello?" he called. From the shadows, a man chuckled and stepped into the light. "No," MiM whispered, horrified. "It can't be."

"Well it is," the man stated. "I've been waiting for the Doctor to slip up; to lead me to something I could use to regain power. And this, this is the jack pot! I will rule this world… and you're going to help me."

"I'd rather die," MiM snarled. The other man smirked and advanced.

"That can be arranged."


	4. Old Enemies

The campout had been a huge success. There had been s'mores and fishing and even a few badly sung campfire songs by Jack and Hiccup. Around midnight they had all fallen asleep, exhausted. Jack was the first to wake the next morning to a strange sound. He quickly realized it was the TARDIS.

"Guys! Hey, wake up!" he said, prodding them with his staff.

"Jack…" Merida groaned, rolling over onto her stomach, effectively hiding from the world. Hiccup sat up and blinked blearily at the early morning light. Rapunzel unwound herself from her hair and then stood up. She stretched, and then looked around.

"Morning Jack," she said happily.

"And good morning to you, Princess," he said with a mock bow. He straightened back up suddenly when he realized what he said. Thankfully, Rapunzel didn't seem to notice. She giggled.

"Jack, Merida's the princess here, not me." Merida groaned at the mention of her name and sat up, her curly hair matted and sticking out all over the place.

"Well, she certainly doesn't look like it," Jack whispered to Rapunzel who giggled again. Hiccup was up now as well.

"Why did you wake us up Jack?"

"I heard the TARDIS," he explained and looked around. Where was it? "There!" he cried, spotting it on top of the stone monolith. They saw the door open, saw someone peer down, and then step back inside. A moment later it disappeared and reappeared next to them at the base of the waterfall.

"Wow," Hiccup whispered. Rapunzel looked excited and Merida couldn't care less.

"So what? It's a big, blu, box."

"Wait until you see the inside," Jack said simply. The door opened and the Doctor stepped out.

"Sorry about the confusion," the Doctor said. "That view up there is sure breathtaking though. Right then Jack, we should probably get going." He gestured back to the box.

"Actually Doctor, I have a favor to ask. Could we take Rapunzel back to her tower… yesterday?" he asked, feeling somewhat peculiar about the phrasing. The Doctor's eyes widened.

"Did you say Rapunzel?" he asked.

"Um, yes, hi, I'm Rapunzel," she said, speaking up and waving nervously.

"No way," the Doctor muttered and then stepped forward, a big smile on his face. He grabbed Punzie's hand and shook it vigorously. "Oh, it is an honor." Rapunzel looked confused, but tried to be friendly.

"Thank you, I guess," she replied uncertainly.

"And who are you?" The Doctor asked turning to Hiccup. Hiccup introduced himself and Toothless to which the Doctor responded enthusiastically.

"And this is my cousin Merida," he finished, nodding to the princess on the ground. She raised a weary hand in greeting.

"I can't believe this," the Doctor said. "Jack, why didn't you tell me these were your friends? May I?" he asked Hiccup, pointing to Toothless. Hiccup nodded and the Doctor approached the dragon and began to scratch him under his chin. His jaw dropped open in pleasure revealing his gums.

"Huh, actually toothless," the Doctor remarked. Quite suddenly, teeth popped out of his jaws and Toothless snapped at him playfully. The Doctor fell back in surprise, then laughed.

"That's brilliant!" Hiccup helped the strange man to his feet and then pointed to the TARDIS.

"Jack's told us about your time machine. Can I have a look at it?"

"Sure!" said the Doctor leading the dragon trainer to the box. The TARDIS rumbled a greeting as the two men entered quickly followed by Jack and then curiously followed by Rapunzel. Merida, finally awake enough to be curious, followed last of all. Well, besides Toothless who squeezed in and then proceeded to hang upside down from one of the pillars. The Doctor and Hiccup started prattling on about sciencey and inventy stuff while Rapunzel looked around, hands itching to paint this magnificent place. Jack made a comment about Merida's hair and soon the two were bickering amiably. The noise in the console room was cut short when the TARDIS jolted to one side. Rapunzel and Hiccup fell down, Merida managed to snag the railing, Jack just tumbled through the air, and the Doctor managed to stay upright, used to the unusual movements of the TARDIS. Toothless just swayed contentedly from his perch.

"What's the matter girl?" the Doctor asked, stroking the console worriedly.

"Did he just _stroke _it?" Merida muttered. Jack nodded his head. The TARDIS lurched again.

"Doctor, what's the matter?" he asked.

"I don't know," the Doctor replied, pulling levers and pushing buttons, including hitting one with a sledge hammer. Hiccup really wondered if that was the best way to do it. The Doctor pulled down the console screen and took a look at the odd symbols displayed there.

"Th-that can't be right!" he cried. He twisted some knobs on the screen, but the symbols didn't change. "He's dead. I saw him die," he muttered. Suddenly, the screen turned to static and the TARDIS lights flickered. A face appeared on the screen.

"Hello Doctor. Long time no see," said the Master nastily.

"How did you get here?" the Doctor asked bluntly. The Master laughed.

"I escaped from Gallifrey in the nick of time. I watched what you did to our planet Doctor. I saw it-" He stopped. "Oh, but you don't know that," he finished with a smirk. Suddenly the Master's face contorted in pain and his image flickered; not the TV image, but himself. When whatever was hurting him stopped, he was a new man, a man straight from nightmares.

"Pitch," Jack muttered darkly.

"No, no," the man said. "I'm still the Master. You see, I escaped Gallifrey and was nearly captured by space pirates. Instead, I boarded their ship secretly. And with so many nightmares on board, vying for Pitch's attention and slowly possessing him, who would notice one more?" An evil grin decorated his face.

"Now then," he continued, changing back to his Gallifreyan form, "there is an actual purpose to my call. You see, you have something I want; Jack Frost." Jack's eyes widened in surprise and his friends turned to look at him. Why would this strange, obviously evil, man want their friend? Jack said as much out loud.

"Why me?" But even as he asked, he remembered what MiM had told him. _You are more important than you know. _

"An excellent question, Jack," he sneered, reverting to Pitch. "MiM told me you were to be my downfall and I'm not going to let that happen."

"What did you do to him?" Jack shouted angrily. The Master simply grinned.

"He's busy at the moment. Now Doctor, hand him over to me and MiM may make it out alive."

"You know I can't do that Master," the Doctor replied steadily.

"Can't, or won't?" he snarled viciously. "What if I bartered the lives of these four as well?" The camera turned to face four figures slumped against the wall. The four Guardians were all bound and gagged and looking worse for the wear. The camera turned back to the Master.

"I'm not worried about what they'll do to me. Jack is the one MiM said to worry about. Bring him to me within three days- I'm being generous- or I will come and get him myself." The screen went black.

"Well he seems like a nice guy," Hiccup dead panned to break the tension.

"Oh Doctor, you can't take him to the Master! Who knows what he would do to him?" Rapunzel cried.

"And if you do, we're plenty capable of stopping you," Merida threatened. The Doctor ran a hand through his hair, making it stand on end.

"I'm not going to, so don't worry about that. What we need to do is figure out where to take Jack instead. Now that the Master has time travel, he's really safe no where. My best idea is to keep running." He sighed. "And trust me, that's no kind of life."

"There is another option," Punzie piped up. They looked at her curiously and hopefully. "Didn't you hear it?" she asked them.

"Hear what Punz?" Jack asked leaning on his staff.

"I heard something while that man was ranting. The golden man, he looked at me, and I swear I heard him say, "Go to our homes. Find your centers. You are our new hope." What do you think that mean?" Jack's breath caught as he remembered another thing MiM had said. _Find your center, because that's what we'll need most of all. _

"I'm not entirely sure, but it seems like a good place to start," said the Doctor. "Where to first?" Everyone looked expectantly at Jack. Where to start? He supposed it didn't really matter where they went first as long as they visited all four homes.

"The Tooth Palace."


	5. The Tooth Palace

The TARDIS rocked and wheezed as it landed. Jack peeked out and the other three peeked out below him, forming a sort of totem pole.

"Ah!" Toothless bowled them all over as he leaped out and began to chase the baby fairies. They twittered angrily at the dragon. As the four teens picked themselves up, the Doctor stepped over them and looked around.

"Wow..."

"You said it," agreed Rapunzel. Merida raised an eyebrow at the swooning fairies surrounding Jack, who tried to swat a few of them away. A few of them were hovering around Hiccup and staring at him curiously. Some were also flitting around the Doctor, who had pulled out his sonic and was studying them fascinatedly. One of them landed in his hair and chirped excitedly. It was so fluffy!

"So... now what?" Merida asked. Jack shrugged.

"I don't know. There must be something they want us to find. Let's look around." He launched himself off the platform.

"Toothless!" Hiccup called. The dragon stopped batting at the fairies and came bounding over to his friend. Hiccup mounted and they flew off. Rapunzel wrapped her hair around a golden beam and rappelled down. Merida was left to herself, seeing as the Doctor was too busy sonic-ing stuff.

_Well, let's see what I can find. _Getting a good grip on the lattice work, Merida began to climb down. As she descended, she passed shelves and shelves of tiny gold containers.

"Jack!" she called. "What is this place exac'ly?" Jack flew over and hovered next to her.

"This is where the Tooth Fairy lives. She collects children's' baby teeth and keeps them here."

"But why? What's the point of all these teeth?" she asked gesturing around. Jack shrugged.

"Don't know." Then he grinned. "See you at the bottom," and he was gone. Merida rolled her eyes and kept climbing down.

_I remember my first lost tooth. Mam had been chasing me in a game and I was giggling so hard I ran right into tha door! _Merida grinned at the memory. She passed a shelf and did a double take. Rapunzel's face was on one of the containers! Thinking it might be important, Merida took it from the shelf and stuck it in her bag. Three shelves lower she found Hiccup's and had to stretch as far as she could to reach it.

With a triumphant little _thump _Merida dropped to the ground and took in her surroundings. She was in a small grotto with a pond at one end. A beautiful mural decorated one wall. Merida examined the painting for a moment and some baby tooths flitted around here. Suddenly the peaceful quiet was shattered by a scream.

"Punzie!" Merida yelled, whirling around, trying to find her friend. There! About halfway up the fall wall, Rapunzel was dangling by her hair. Some black billowly creatures were galloping around her in midair, snatching at her hair, making her nearly fall several times. Within seconds, Merida slipped her bow off her shoulder, nocked an arrow, and sent it on it's way with three more close behind it. All four found their mark, but she didn't have time to congratulate herself, seeing as more Nightmares were surrounding her friends.

All of them were on different levels in all different directions. It would take too long to climb up the facade to help, so Merida shot as many as she could within reach, but they just kept coming. Jack was freezing them every which way and Rapunzel was doing what she could. Hiccup and Toothless were fighting tooth, claw, and fire.

Finally all her friends were safe and Merida sighed lowering her bow. Until she heard the growl behind her.

Whirling around, Merida faced an enormous nightmare in the form of a bear. It snarled and lunged at her. She didn't have time to string an arrow, but instead pulled one from the quiver and braced herself. As it lunged, Merida moved to the right and stabbed the nightmare where it's heart would have been. It let out a loud groan and fell to the ground.

"Don't mess with my friends," Merida whispered as it dissipated. Only when it was well and truly gone did Merida finally realize she was hurt. The bear had managed to scratch her shoulder pretty badly. Her friends gathered around her.

"Merida! You're hurt!" cried Hiccup.

"Ya don't say," Merida muttered sarcastically as she gently touched her wound. She winced.

"Here," said Rapunzel as she gently laid her hair on her friend's shoulder. Rapunzel began to sing.

Everyone was silent as they watched Rapunzel work her beautiful magic. They had all seen her do it before, but it still amazed them each time. An almost reverent silence filled the room as she finished. Merida rolled her shoulder a few times and then grinned.

"Good as new! Thanks Punzie!"

"Um… you guys may want to come check this out," the Doctor called down to them. With each other's help, the four of them flew up to the top balcony. The Doctor was standing by beautifully carved wooden chest. The lid was inlaid with rubies and something was glowing under the lid.

"We could've used your help you know," Jack told him.

"I did!" the Doctor said. "There were some of those…. nasty things up here and I fought them off." Jack chuckled like he didn't believe him and the Doctor looked appropriately offended.

"It's locked," Hiccup said, inspecting the lock. The Doctor, with a smug look at Jack, pulled out his sonic and unlocked it for them. The five of them crowded around to see what was inside.

Two expertly made twin swords lay in the bottom of the chest. The blades curled at the tips and the handles were inlaid with mother of pearl and tiny rubies.

Merida was the first one to break the stunned silence by grabbing one of the swords and pulling it out. As she held it, it began to transform. A moment later she held an arrow, the fletching on it matching the colors of the Tooth Fairy.

"Wow…" whispered Jack. Merida grabbed the other one and it transformed similarly. However she didn't notice. As soon as she made contact with the second sword, her mind flashed to a memory.

_It was dark. Slowly, so as not to cause it to creak, her door opened. Someone flew into her room and leaned over her pillow. As she reached under it, Merida sprung. _

"_Ha!" Merida cried, jumping from the top of her wardrobe onto the fairy. Tooth flew up in surprise and almost hit both their heads on the ceiling._

"_Oh, sorry!" Tooth said, lifting Merida up and setting her on her bed. "That was pretty brave to jump from there." Merida started bouncing on the bed, grinning. Suddenly, she noticed the swords at the fairies side._

"_Oo… shiny," she whispered, reaching for one. Tooth held them out of her reach._

"_Uh uh uh. These are dangerous too." Tooth studied the little red head in front of her before pulling one out and handing it carefully to the girl. "These are to protect people. In order to use them, you have to have real courage. Maybe one day you'll use them."_

_The scene changed._

_Suddenly, Merida was galloping through the forest and a second later burst into the clearing. She could see her mother being restrained by ropes and her father approaching with a sword. With a mighty leap, she placed herself in her father's way._

"_No! I won't let you hurt my Mam!"_

"_Step aside Merida!" Some guards tried to restrain her, but she stole a sword from one of them and faced off with her father. They would have fought if they hadn't been interrupted by a dangerous roar. Mord'u came bursting from the wood, looking simply terrifying in the flickering torch light._

_But that didn't stop Merida from defending her family_

_The scenes continued to change, flickering between the scariest and bravest moments of Merida's life. She heard a voice whisper, "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather, realizing that something is more important than fear."_

Finally the memories faded and she was back in the present.

"Mer, Mer…" Hiccup was shaking her gently. "You okay?"

"You guys are going ta think ahm stoopid."

::::

She told the others about her flashback. Jack suddenly jumped in the air and did a backflip.

"That's it!" he yelled. "That's how we save the others! At each of the Guardians' homes there must be something that will help us save them. We find our centers along the way!" The Doctor leaned back against the railing.

"But why? I understand the weapons, everyone _loves _weapons, but why the centers, why are they important?"

"I don't know," Jack said. "But they are and we've got to find them." Everyone mulled over the importance of this for a moment. Hiccup spoke up.

"So, where to next?" They all looked at Jack, seeing as he was the only one who knew where to go. He smiled.

"The Isle of Dreams."


	6. The Isle of (Day)dreams

**A/N: Hello again everyone! I'm still alive (thankfully), though school did it's best to kill me off- and that's my only excuse for why it took so long to write this. That, and this chapter just had fits. Anyway, it's been so long I figure a quick summary would be useful.**

**_Jack met the Doctor one night and they had a heart-to-heart about friends and discussed why Jack is the way he is (hint: it's science). Then they go visit (confront) the Man in the Moon, and end up having another heart-to-heart about how he knows the Doctor and Jack finding his center. They leave and the Doctor takes Jack to visit his friends from the past AKA, Rapunzel, Merida, and Hiccup. When the Doctor returns they all end up in the TARDIS and receive a threatening message from the Master, AKA Pitch, who wants the Doctor to turn Jack over to him. Of course, the Doctor says no and the five of them embark on an epic adventure to find their centers and rescue MiM and the Guardians. They went to the Tooth Palace where Merida found her center, which is courage, and now they're going to the Isle of Dreams._**

**Thanks for reading! Enjoy and please review!**

:) :) :) :)

Jack had never actually been to the isle before. In fact, he didn't even know where it was located. Thankfully the Doctor seemed to know what he was doing and was working quickly at the console to get them there.

Jack tried not to jump as Rapunzel landed next to him on the railing of the balcony above the console.

"Hi Jack," she said. She looked at him, and he saw she was worried. The princess placed her hand on his. "How are you?"

"Ah, you know me Punzie, I'm fine." She gave him a withering look.

"Seriously Jack. How are you feeling?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"About all this?" She nodded and the winter spirit laughed, as he tried to come up with the words. Nearly 200 years without anyone to talk to, and now his friend wanted him to share his feelings. He was hesitant.

"This is the most fun I've had in centuries," he stated honestly. "Being back with you three is worth more than I can say. I'm also a bit freaked out. I mean, some psychotic villain wants to hunt me down for what I'll do in the future? It's insane! I'm just... me. I don't have some great destiny like-" He faltered and wanted to say _like you guys _but quickly changed it to, "like other people." Rapunzel just laughed at him.

"Oh Jack. I _know _you're more important than you think you are. Don't worry. We'll figure all of this out." He smiled at her; oh he had missed her.

"Thanks Punz." He jumped onto the balcony just as the TARDIS touched down, sending him rocking and accidently tackling Rapunzel. They ended up sprawled on the floor all tangled up (ha puns). The two of them tried to get up quickly and both their cheeks were glowing red by the time they finally managed to get to their feet.

"If you two are quite finished up there," Merida called with a smirk.

"Watch it DunBroch!" Jack called as he floated himself and Rapunzel down.

"Oh, watch it yerself Frost. Let's go." She opened the door and everyone streamed out onto the unbelievable beach in front of them.

The TARDIS had landed on a sandbar, almost white in color, about thirty feet across. The sandbar curled until it met another, darker, one which curled until it met another one, all of them eventually converging in one central landmass, of a rich gold color. A huge mound of sand, with a volcanic-like top, stood there. Suddenly, the five of them yawned simultaneously.

"So this is the Sandman's home?" Rapunzel asked, flexing her bare toes in the sand. "I like it." The Doctor was bent over examining the dream sand, running it through his fingers.

"This is remarkable…" he muttered and then looked around. "That seems to be the center of the island," he said pointing to the volcanic looking mound, then he yawned. "Anyone else a bit drowsy?" Toothless blinked sleepily and began pacing the sand before blasting it with flame and laying down. Hiccup and Merida yawned at the same time and even Jack was rubbing his eyes. Rapunzel however remained fascinated with her surroundings. She breathed in the sweet salt air and saw something on the horizon. Whatever it was waved and she waved back. It dove beneath the waves.

"Guys! I think that was a mermaid." She heard a soft thump, and turned around to find everyone passed out in various positions; Hiccup leaning on Toothless, Merida on her side, Jack face down, and the Doctor curled up.

"Oh dear…" She couldn't very well leave them like this. Rapunzel grabbed Jack first and dragged him next to Hiccup, positioning him so his head was resting on the viking's shoulder, then did the same for Merida. She grabbed the Doctor next and stuck him next to Jack. The princess nodded at her fine work and then gasped as a thin strand of sand rose from the beach. It wove it's way between her friends' heads, spinning a story and weaving a dream. A bouquet of roses bloomed above the Doctor's head and he smiled in his sleep. A galloping horse above Merida's, intertwining with Hiccup's sand dragon as they flew and ran together. Grains of sand created a beautiful scene above Jack's head of the four of them together with a tiny moon hanging in the sky. To the side a little cloud of sand couldn't decide if it wanted to form into a fifth figure or not. Rapunzel smiled warmly at her sleeping friends.

Now, time to explore.

Her feet pushed deep into the sand as she climbed up the nearest dune and slid down the other side. Sand was so different than anything she'd walked on before. She loved the slippery feel of it.

As she trudged happily up and over dunes thin threads of the sand began to rise and follow her. Not until she looked back at the top of the second highest dune did she notice it. The thin veils and streams of sand wove lazily through the air, actually lifting her hair up in a few places. Rapunzel reached out a tentative finger and touched it.

The effect was immediate. Rippling from her touch, the sand swirled and formed the scene of a mermaid leaping and twirling through the waves.

"Wow," whispered Rapunzel. She bit her lip and touched it again and the sand turned into a flock of little birds, twittering and flying all about her. She laughed. This was amazing! And it felt so... natural. One by the one, the birds picked up strands of her hair and tugged her along, down this dune and up the last one that was the center of the island.

When she got to the rim, she looked in and was surprised to find a large, comfy looking (albeit sandy), bed. Carefully, she slid down the side of the dune. As she got closer to the bed, the heavier her eyes became until eventually, she fell gently onto it and began to snore.

_It was dark. Rapunzel felt around in the dark, looking for a light, when a quiet voice said, "It's inside you." Immediately, Rapunzel saw a spark that quickly grew and lit up the surrounding area. She was surprised to find herself standing in front of a mirror and that the spark was coming from her._

"_Wow…" she whispered, then looked around. "Where am I?" The princess heard a soft jingling noise that reminded her of laughter. She turned around and was pleasantly surprised to see the little yellow man that had spoken to her before._

"_Hello!"_

"_Hello Rapunzel," he responded, though his mouth didn't move. "I see you five are doing as I said and going to our homes."_

"_Yeah, we've already been to the Tooth Palace and Merida found out her center is courage. She also got some special arrows." The Sandman nodded and smiled._

"_Good. And now you're here to find your center. Tell me, what do you think it is?"_

"_I don't have the faintest idea," she admitted truthfully. The Sandman smiled kindly._

"_Well then let's figure it out. What do you like to do?"_

"_Paint," she replied immediately. As soon as she said that, a scene sprung up all around them of her tower, but the walls were blank. As they watched, pictures started to flow over the walls and cover the empty space._

"_You're very good," the Sandman observed as he floated around and looked at the pictures. "What do you like to paint?" he asked. Rapunzel shrugged._

"_Everything; wishes, dreams, what I've read, what I've seen."_

"_But you want to see more, don't you?" the Sandman asked, coming to float by her. Rapunzel nodded sheepishly and tugged at her hair a little._

"_I mean, I have my outings with Jack and Mer and Hic, but imagine if I could leave my tower for good, whenever I felt like it." She sighed and glanced out the window. "I could go anywhere, do anything, be anything I wanted to be." The Sandman patted her on the shoulder._

"_You're a dreamer." Rapunzel nodded._

"_Like you." Sandy smiled a little._

"_Like all of us." The scene changed again, flitting from one tiny village to another, from one sleeping child to the next._

"_Dreams are an essential part of childhood," Sandy explained. "They fuel our desires and help our wishes come true, but not all dreaming happens while asleep." The scenes changed, flipping from one child looking at the stars to another staring out the window during class to another doodling on some paper._

"_These type of dreams give us the most hope, something solid to look forward to, to aim for. They're fueled by focused creativity and imagination. With that determination, anything is possible." The scene faded and the Sandman turned to face her again._

"_Including leaving your tower." The princess smiled at him._

"_So… daydreams," Rapunzel said. The little spark that was still lit grew brighter. "That's my center." The Sandman nodded._

_"You're going to be needing that creativity and hope in the near future. Now, you said Merida got some arrows too, right?" Rapunzel nodded. "Well, let's see what we can do for you." The Sandman spread his arms open and sand began to flow around them both. Rapunzel could feel it swirling around her and weaving itself in her hair._

_"You already have a wonderful magical ability. Combined with the sand, you can do almost anything._

_"And don't let anybody tell you otherwise."_

_"Thank you," Rapunzel said, but already the dream was turning fuzzy and she began to wake up._

The stars were glowing brightly in the sky as Rapunzel woke from her dream. She felt refreshed and bounding with energy. She leapt up, looked around, and smiled before taking off, racing back up the side of the crater and toward her friends.

As she ran, she noticed the sand swirling about her again, even stronger than before. The princess stopped and observed it for a moment. It floated vaguely in the air, seeming to have lost its energy when she stopped running. Rapunzel lifted a hand to run through her hair and was surprised when the sand reacted in kind. The princess paused and then flung her arm out to the side. A blast of sand exploded that way and Rapunzel jumped at the ferocity of it. She tried again, gesturing much more carefully, and the sand reacted in kind, winding it's way gently in that direction.

Punzie tried some other things, twisting and twirling the sand this way and that, making it dance and create and bend.

"I wonder..." She had an idea in mind and waved her arms, concentrating hard. Underneath her, a cloud began to form.

"Ok... Now, up!" The cloud rose into the sky with her on top and Rapunzel laughed. This was amazing!

The princess directed the cloud back to her friends where they continued to slumber. Toothless stirred a bit as she landed. She patted him gently on the head and moved to help her friends. The sand above them had changed slightly, but they were all smiling and seeming to have good dreams

Except the Doctor. His bouquet of roses was down to one flower that was quickly wilting. She figured she should wake him up first.

"Doctor…" she said and shook him gently.

"Hrm?"

"Doctor, wake up. We should go." The thin man rubbed his eyes, sat up tiredly, and looked around.

"What time is it?" he asked. Rapunzel looked up.

"Judging by the stars, I'd guess around midnight." The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"You can tell that from the stars? I'm impressed." She shrugged modestly.

"I have a lot of time on my hands," she said, then quickly changed the subject. "Can you help me get the others in the TARDIS?"

"Sure, but don't we need to look around the island first? Find someone's center or something?"

"Already done," she replied as she helped a sleepy Hiccup to his feet, who was currently mumbling for five more minutes. The TARDIS doors swung open politely as she lugged him in and the Doctor followed with Merida. Rapunzel peered out the door and got the sand to lift Jack and Toothless and only hit Jack's head on the door once as she guided them inside. The Doctor watched in awe as Jack was set comfortably in the crook of a branch and Toothless leapt off before it could set him down. The dragon shook himself affrontedly and stalked off.

"How are you doing that?" the Doctor asked as he pulled out his sonic. Rapunzel took one last look at the island and then closed the door, with a small smile on her face, then turned back to face the rest of the TARDIS.

Jack was slouched comfortably in one of the branches of the TARDIS with Hiccup below him, leaning up against it. Merida would have been laying spread-eagle if Toothless hadn't spread a wing over her and curled up. Leftover dream sand swirled gently through the air, bobbing around the TARDIS console and over her friends' heads. Oh she wished she had paint. The Doctor approached with his sonic screwdriver.

"May I?" he asked.

"Oh, sure." He scanned her quickly and began pacing around with the results.

"This is astounding! I mean, I saw what your hair could do at the Tooth Palace- amazing by the way- but these readings show its power has increased tenfold. It's like… it's like… well the only thing I can compare it to is… what happened to Rose." The Doctor stopped pacing and looked as if he were a thousand miles away. Eventually he spoke again.

"She looked into the heart of the TARDIS and it looked into her. She became so powerful, it would have consumed her. She saved the day, and then I had to save her." He shook his head and tried to be excited again.

"And you! Princess of Corona! Already oozing with "magical" healing properties, now you have this! Your power's not the burning, firey inferno of the TARDIS' heart, but more like the soft warmth of the sun; it's powerful, but contained. Whatever the Sandman- I'm assuming that's who he is- did to you, it's powerful. Impressive. I'd love to meet him." He flipped his sonic and then stuck it back in his jacket pocket.

"Doctor?" Rapunzel asked, approaching him slowly. He had said something she wanted to ask about later, but for now, this was more important. "Were you dreaming about Rose?" she asked. He nodded mutely.

"Who is she?" He shook his head with a sad little smile.

"A… friend of mine. From a long time ago."

"Tell me about her," Rapunzel asked and sat down on the edge of one of the seats.

"No, I'll save you the sob story." Rapunzel just put her chin in her hands and scooted closer. The Doctor chuckled and sat down next to her.

"It started with some mannequins…"

So long through the night, the Doctor told Rapunzel about his adventures with his beautiful Rose; their good times and bad, laughter and sorrows, and, above all, their love.

"I never got to tell her, and I kick myself everyday because of it."

"Well, why can't you tell her?"

"The gap between universes is closed. There's no way."

"Maybe there is!" Rapunzel said hopefully. "You're the Doctor. You can do whatever you set your mind to." The Doctor shook his head firmly.

"No. No I can't, because then I make bad decisions and then people get hurt." It hurt Rapunzel to see him like this. She could feel the pain and guilt rolling off of him, and such grief. Making a decision, she began to sing softly.

"Flower, gleam and glow

Let your power shine

Make the clock reverse

Bring back what once was mine

Heal what has been hurt

Change the Fates' design

Save what has been lost

Bring back what once was mine

What once was mine"

The sand lit up brightly as she sang and the Doctor closed his eyes, basking in this one warm, peaceful moment. The light faded with her voice, leaving a quiet calm in the console room. The Doctor's eyes flew open.

"How did you do that?" he asked.

"Um, well, I sing and-"

"No no. When you were singing, I had an idea, a mad, brilliant idea, that just might work."

"Sort of like a daydream?"

"Yes! Yes, just like that!"

"That's my center," the princess explained.

"Oh! Oh you brilliant girl!" he cried jumping up. He ran over and planted a kiss on her forehead. "If this works I will personally give you the best wedding gift ever. Even if it doesn't work, I'll come and give you a fantastic gift!"

"Wait what? Wedding?" The Doctor hissed through his teeth.

"Right. That hasn't happened yet. Oh and I called you princess too didn't I… Oh, well. Forget all that. No spoilers." Rapunzel couldn't help but giggle at the newly invigorated Doctor and wonder about her own future.

"I'll try. Anything I can do to help?" The Doctor glanced over at Jack and brought his thoughts back to the present.

"I'm worried about him." Rapunzel looked at her friend, who was currently drooling in his sleep.

"Why?"

"He's so young. And so… lonely."

"But he has us." The Doctor looked at her.

"Remember, this isn't your Jack. He's been alone for a couple of centuries by now. Like me," he muttered. "And now the Master, or Pitch, or who-_what_-ever, is back and," he sighed. "I don't want it to break him." Rapunzel observed Jack for a moment in silence.

"I think it will make him stronger." She looked at the rest of her friends and then turned to smile at the Doctor.

"I think it will make us all stronger." Merida rolled over and mumble/shouted at them,

"Some of us are tryin to sleep ya know!" The Doctor and Rapunzel tried to stifle their laughter and returned to the console.

"How much time do we have left?" Rapunzel asked. The Doctor pulled up a timer on the monitor.

"'Bout a day and a half. We need to get a move on."

"Where to next then?" the princess asked. Jack stirred from his perch and mumbled, "Warren."

"Warren… rabbit warren… The Easter Bunny's home!" exclaimed Rapunzel.

"I still can't believe they're real," the Doctor muttered as he set the coordinates.


End file.
